Oakley received a six-year prison sentence after admitting to a number of the ram raids, while Smith was handed a five-year sentence in a youth offender centre for his part in the series.

The duo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle in relation to a number of ram raids to steal cash machines across the region. As part of the audacious crime spree in March and April 2018, they also stole a number of vehicles such as Land Rovers and Audis, which were used to ram into the stores and as get-away cars.

Charlie Oakley

The 17-year-old from Market Harborough, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to burgle in relation to the same series of ram raids and will be sentenced later on this month.

In total there were eight ram raids across seven different counties, and a total of 24 offences.

Each ATM contained thousands of pounds of cash and the raids caused more than £250,000 of damage in total to the businesses. None of the cash has been recovered.

The men were arrested in April by officers from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) during a failed attempt to steal a cash machine from a store in Isleham, Cambridgeshire.

Tony Smith

Detective Inspector Trevor Davidson, who led the investigation for ERSOU on behalf of forces across the eastern region, said: “This ruthless cross-border crime blitz saw hundreds of thousands of pounds being stolen, not to mention the significant amount of damage caused to the businesses affected, and the multiple vehicles stolen from innocent people across the region.

“This was an incredibly complex investigation due to the large number and geographical span of the offences, but thanks to the hard work and dedication of our officers, and the close working with forces in seven different counties, we have been able to bring these criminals to justice.

“ERSOU is committed to tackling serious and organised criminals and we’re pleased to have been able to put these men behind bars, preventing any future offending from them, and hopefully sending a warning to others that you will not get away with this type of offending in the eastern region.”